


defect, surgical project

by undeadsnorlax



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (a little bit), Angst, Body Horror, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, POV Luther Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Transformation, a minor appearance from God, eh. maybe a little comfort.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeadsnorlax/pseuds/undeadsnorlax
Summary: Luther's awake the whole time as his body goes through some changes
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	defect, surgical project

**Author's Note:**

> had the thought of...hey, how fucking shitty would it be to actually go through that sort of transformation whilst conscious so uhhhh yeah

_There was...a wood. He was laying on his back on a woodland path, staring at the muted grey sky through the branches._

_Sitting up, he let out a groan, hand to his head...then grasping at his chest, heart thumping._

_He remembered fighting, the enemy running away. He took chase, lost them, found them again just as they shoved the open barrel his way. He remembered pain, more pain than he’d felt in his whole life, the smell of blood and burning flesh strong in his nostrils._

_Through his tears, dragging himself back to the recon point, he just thought of his father’s disappointment before passing out on the floor._

_He didn’t remember much else._

_“Another one of you?”  
He jumped, looking over to see a young girl leaning on the handlebars of her bicycle in front of him.  
“You’ve been out for a while. Thought you were just going to sleep there.”_

_“Wha- where am I?”_

_“Hm. Doesn’t matter.” She frowned, shaking her head at him. “You’re waking up. Are you like that scruffy skinny one I keep seeing? Tell him it’s getting annoying to see him so much, this isn’t a tourist spot.”_

_“I don’t-“ The scene flickered, growing faint. “A-am I dead?”_

_“...you were. Guess now just isn’t the time. You probably won’t remember this.” The little girl rolled her eyes, turning her bicycle around. “For the best, really. Next time you’re here better be for real.”_

_He huffed slightly, feeling annoyance overtake his fear. “Stop being so-“_

_***_

  
Luther’s eyes snapped open, taking a sharp gasp of air. His whole body...burned, a sensation tingling under his skin that made him want to claw it off.

He tried to sit up, but was pressed down immediately. Looking to his side, he saw Grace, her face contorted with worry.

“Just relax Luther,” she said softly, stroking the top of his head, “It’s okay. It’ll be over soon.”

Luther could sense the tension in the air, could just about make out Reginald stood behind him, muttering to Pogo.

“D-Dad? What happened?” he asked, but his father ignored him.

“How is he awake?” Reginald hissed, but Pogo couldn’t answer, just stared nervously forward.

“Dad?” His voice sounded so small.

Luther squirmed, easily pushing Grace’s hands away to try and sit up but that level of movement sent the room spinning, and he found himself pressed down again as his vision blacked out for a second.

He clenched his teeth together to not cry, even as his skin continued to itch, his muscles throb with pain. It didn’t do much good, tears started to roll down his cheeks regardless.

He took another gasp of air as the pain shot through his spine. There was a _crack_ and _crunch_ that made his back arch from the table, a choked cry escaping his throat.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay sweetheart,” Grace said, her voice soothing but her face more panicked than Luther had ever seen, or thought she was capable of.

She stroked the top of his head over and over, gloved fingers running over his short hair as he let out another yell.

This time the pain came from his shoulders and his biceps. A slightly familiar sensation he used to feel as a boy, getting used to his body’s endurance by lifting heavier and heavier weights, but...so much more. Like two trucks were pulling at his arms, threatening to rip him in half.

Luther sensed movement behind him, and Grace’s kind touch was pushed away. Instead, Reginald stared at him, upside down and holding either side of his face.

“Now, now Number One,” he said firmly, blinking his bloodshot eyes.

Wait, had he cried? Had he genuinely shed a tear seeing him get injured? Luther would have smiled if he wasn’t so aware of every piece of his anatomy screaming.

“Focus.” The hold on his head got a little tighter, keeping it in place. It was certainly something else to concentrate on, he supposed, the slight pressure on his skull. “Don’t strain yourself to ask questions yet. It had to come to this.”

Luther scrunched up his eyes, gritting his teeth to stifle back the howl he so wanted to make.

“Sir...” Pogo was at his side now, fear in his eyes. “Should we administer a sedative? Or something to ease his pain?”

Reginald’s brow furrowed, glancing around the room before locking eyes with Luther once more.  
“No. It won’t have any effect. We wouldn’t be able to gauge how much he needs in enough time.”

Luther just about managed to gulp, shakily raising a hand to his chest. The sensation had moved to there now, his heart thumping faster every second. It couldn’t be a heart attack, but it felt wrong. Like it was...moving, growing even. But how would...

Luther’s eyes wandered down, seeing the rest of his body for the first time, gaining a sudden moment of clarity. Had he gotten… _bigger_? The room was rather dark, the only light shining directly as his face, but he seemed to take up more of the operation table than he should have been.  
His skin started to burn again and he scrunched his eyes up, scratching at his arms and stomach and chest.

“Number One,” came his father’s stern tone once more.

“It itches,” Luther whined, tilting his chin up to scratch at his throat and...

His fingers brushed coarse hair.

That couldn’t be right. He didn’t really have much body hair, and certainly not around his collarbones.

Reginald centred his head before he could investigate any more, just as Luther’s back arched in pain again.

He barely heard Reginald’s muttering, but soon Grace was holding down one of his arms as Pogo took the other. There’s a kinder touch here though, as Pogo gripped his hand and Grace stroked his arm softly, talking in a soothing voice.

“There there Luther, it’ll be over soon. Such a brave boy, aren’t you?”

It just reminded him of being a child, getting patched up after his first intense training session that left his fists bloody pulps. Not that the babying tone wasn’t appreciated right now as he tried to focus on anything that wasn’t pain.

Another shot of agony flew up from his stomach and spread into his biceps, muscles straining as he heard...well, it sounded like the creak of old leather being stretched…his _skin_ being stretched.

Reginald’s hold on his head was quite firm, barking orders at him but he couldn’t really hear, his ears like they were full of cotton. The pain was dizzying, paired with the bright light making him see nothing but blurry shapes spinning around his father’s face.

Despite the hold and his dazed brain, Luther managed to dart his eyes to look over at his left arm and-

“Wh-what the fuck?”

He hadn’t been imagining any growth earlier. His bicep had seemingly tripled in size, his skin was either a patchy greyish-pink or sore red - this was the side where those chemicals had fallen on him, a saner calmer part of his brain reminded him.

And the hair. Thick dark hair down the whole arm, even the slight peak of chest he could see just out of his peripheral vision was covered in the...the _fur_.

He looked up at Reginald once more, his eyes pooling with tears as he gave the most pathetic pout he thinks he ever has his whole life.

“Dad...what did you do to me?”

“Saved your life,” Reginald snapped, as if he dare question his authority on this matter, “It was a last resort, your vitals had failed.”

That little girl on her bicycle flashed in Luther’s mind for a second, a fuzzy half-formed image he couldn’t fully comprehend. _Holy crap_.

“I suppose even your durability and endurance have their limits,” Reginald added, practically sneered it, shaking his head, “They likely helped you pull through the serum I gave to bring you back, but clearly faltered where it mattered.”

Luther was glad of the catharsis of involuntarily screaming. His father hadn’t said it outright, but his tone and actions did it for him.

_You failed. You pathetic boy._

“Sir,” Grace said, her voice breaking, “Please, Pogo is right, anything would benefit him right now, no matter how small the dose.”

Reginald looked down, his eyes narrow. Luther had stopped spasming on the table now, and though his body still ached from the sudden growth, his chest heaving as he steadied his breathing once more, it was over. All change had happened.

“...no sedative. We can’t risk him slipping again. Muscle relaxant and general pain relief are probably the best.”

And with that, Reginald stormed out of the room.

_You are a disappointment. You disgust me._

Luther let out a choked whine, managing to sit up finally, weakly reaching out a hand. His head still felt full of cotton, the edges of the room a little fuzzy but he was...

He looked down at his hand.

That was his hand now. Grey and hairy and so much bigger.

Slowly, he let his palm explore the rest of his body, holding his head up to not look again. The same texture of coarse fur, uneven skin that still felt raw to touch in places, eliciting a wince if he pressed too hard.

“Why did he...why didn’t he just...”

“Shh, calm yourself now Master Luther,” Pogo said softly, “Lay down again for a moment. You need rest.”

Luther did as he was told – as he always did.

Grace pressed a needle that he barely felt into his forearm that he also barely recognised. She smiled, bustling around the infirmary to get some tissue and drying his still damp cheeks.

“Such a brave boy,” she said once more, cupping his chin, “It’s all over now sweetheart.”

Luther’s bottom lip wobbled, looking down at his new body, not knowing where his old self ended. His lower half was covered with a sheet for modesty, he’d assume, but reaching down to touch his upper thighs he could still feel that same coarse hair. Rubbing his bare heel against the opposite ankle though, the rest of his legs still felt human, if not rather hairy, but so did the rest of him if he squinted a little and pretended it was just the lighting.

“I’ll get your blanket and some fresh clothes,” Pogo said, gently patting Luther’s wrist, “I assume it would be best for you to stay here tonight.”

Luther just grunted, the blinding light above him being turned off before Grace pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll stay here all night, to make sure you’re okay,” she said, hands guiding him to sit up slowly, “Now, I’ll wrap up your arm and chest to make things a bit comfier, then you go off to the bed and sleep.”

Another kiss, this time to his cheek. “You’ve had a very long day.”

Luther managed to nod, just barely. He let Grace bustle around him, lift his arm up and down as she wrapped bandage around his burn wounds. He blankly pulled on the pair of sweatpants Pogo brought in whilst still sat on the gurney, glad they could fit, wrapped his blanket over his shoulders.

His first time standing up felt dizzying. The infirmary bed was barely four feet away but he stumbled trying to keep balance, landing on it with his full new weight that made the springs squeak and the wooden slats groan.

“Just sleep, Luther.” Grace’s voice was always the most soothing sound, soft like a lullaby. “In the morning I’ll make you pancakes and bacon. A nice treat. How does that sound?”

“G-great, Mom,” he said, his voice hoarse, “Thank you. G’night...”

He rolled over slowly to face the wall, shutting his eyes tight.

With any luck, he’d wake up and this would all have been some horrible nightmare and he’d be back to normal.

And he’d keep hoping that until he was right.

**Author's Note:**

> look, I have thoughts about Luther's post-accident body that are mainly does he...does he technically have gorilla organs?? Pogo says his blood isn't fully human so. it kind of makes sense?  
> also there's never any specification on how much of his body is affected so uhh...my personal hc is neck down to upper thighs is gorilla. his body hair growth is a little wack though, so...hairy legs
> 
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End file.
